Suicide plane hits U.S. hospital ship
Revenge bombers blast Jap homeland
GUAM (UP) – Avenging Superfortresses today blasted the Kyushu bases of Japan’s suicide planes, one of which crashed into and badly damaged the Navy hospital ship USS Comfort Saturday night.
Twenty-nine persons were killed, 33 wounded seriously and one was missing after the enemy plane hit the helpless and brilliantly-lighted hospital ship south of Okinawa, a communiqué announced.
A dispatch from Vice Adm. Richmond Kelly Turner’s flagship off Okinawa said there was no doubt the attack was deliberate.
Some 200 B-29s participated in today’s raids on Japan. Though the majority concentrated on the suicide-plane bases on Kyushu for the fifth straight day, some bombed the Tachikawa army arsenal, 24 miles west of Tokyo.
Despite the consistent American raids in Kyushu, the Japs managed to hurl 200 planes against the U.S. forces around Okinawa Saturday night and Sunday, causing some damage to light fleet units. One hundred and four of the Jap planes were shot down.
United Press writer Edward L. Thomas reported from Adm. Turner’s flagship that the enemy plane which hit the Comfort made several “runs” aver the white hospital ship in the moonlight before going into its suicide dive.
Hit 60 miles from island
At the time, the Comfort was about 60 miles south of Okinawa, steaming unescorted toward the Marianas with several hundred American troops seriously wounded in the Okinawa campaign.
The suicide plane very likely hit the operating room in the fantail region, a spokesman said, as the Comfort put out an immediate call for doctors and surgical equipment.
Operations usually are performed almost around-the-clock on hospital ships, the spokesman added, and it was likely some wounded American serviceman was undergoing surgery when the Jap plane hit.
Ship painted white
The ship, painted a white with red crosses on the sides and stacks, has about 350 beds but normally carries more casualties by using emergency quarters.
Parts of the wrecked Jap plane were still on the ship’s deck as she was being steered to port by the alt emergency controls. A brief radio report said the rudder had been knocked out.
Authorities here said the Comfort was complying with all international requirements, had no combatants aboard and was unable to defend itself against the suicide attack. A report of the incident will be sent to Adm. Ernest J. King at Washington.
Gain on Okinawa
A spokesman aboard Adm. Turner’s flagship said “other enemy planes in the area were probably involved in the attacks.”
Adm. Chester W. Nimitz, meanwhile, disclosed that U.S. troops in Southern Okinawa were moving steadily ahead toward Naha under the support of an unprecedented land, air and naval bombardment.
Elements of the 27th Infantry Division were driving through Machinato airfield and had already captured half of the airdrome, two miles north of Naha. Units of the 7th Division seized new high ground positions near Kochi village to the cast.
In the first 27 days of the campaign, Nimitz announced that 1,527 soldiers and 320 Marines had been killed in action, while 7,826 soldiers and 1,322 Marines were wounded, and 413 soldiers and five Marines missing.